A huge pit appeared in You Yuji’s sight, filled with emerald green water, its surface calm and still.
You Yuji had never seen such a green pool before and couldn’t help but look at it twice. Occasionally, a few bubbles would rise to the surface and silently burst, returning to tranquility.
You Yuji softly remarked, “I’ve never seen such emerald green water; it looks so cool and refreshing.”
“Poison Pool,” Si Que said.
You Yuji looked up in confusion. She wasn’t sure what a Poison Pool was, but she could guess from the name. She looked away and didn’t stare any longer.
Si Que led You Yuji down a series of stone steps. As they passed the Poison Pool, You Yuji saw the green water ripple slightly, as if something massive was swimming beneath. Soon, the water calmed again, and a pale skull floated to the surface before gradually sinking back down.
They walked a while longer and entered a narrow, dark passage. You Yuji looked ahead; the passage wasn’t long, and light shone from the other end.
Upon emerging, the space suddenly brightened.
At the same time, a foul odor wafted into her nose.
You Yuji looked around in surprise. This place was quite spacious and had been arranged as a wedding hall. Red silk and large red “double happiness” characters were everywhere, making the hall look very festive.
Of course, that was if you ignored the pigsty, which had its fence painted red…
You Yuji found it too absurd to be real. She turned to look at Si Que, wondering if he truly did things so recklessly.
“Master, everything is ready,” someone from the Poison Pavilion reported.
You Yuji clearly saw a tray in this person’s hands, holding dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds…
You Yuji’s lips parted in shock. She quietly grabbed Si Que’s sleeve and whispered, “This isn’t what I think it is, right? You…”
She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
She still thought it was too ridiculous to be real. But if Si Que was behind it, maybe it wasn’t impossible?
Si Que smiled and instructed the person who reported, “The auspicious hour is near. Let everyone come and attend the wedding banquet.”
After a pause, he lazily added, “I will personally officiate.”
You Yuji still found it unbelievable. She was in a daze as Si Que led her through the wedding hall and seated her on the chair at the top.
Everyone in the Poison Pavilion stopped what they were doing and silently gathered there.
You Yuji watched as numerous black-clad figures emerged from various dark passages, standing silently, soon filling the entire wedding hall.
Perhaps because they all dealt with poisons, none of them seemed to like smiling; they all wore cold expressions and dressed in black, completely clashing with the festively decorated hall.
Si Que lounged back against his chair, resting his elbow on the armrest, looking down as he spoke, “Bring in the bride and groom.”
Immediately, two people turned and headed towards a dark passage. You Yuji watched them disappear and then return shortly after, each holding a red silk ribbon. One end of the ribbon in one person’s hand was tied to the neck of a sickly old sow. The other end in the other person’s hand was tied to the wrist of the deposed Crown Prince Chen Lu of the Chen Kingdom.
Yes, he had already been deposed and was no longer the crown prince.
He lost his composure at the Lantern Festival banquet. The Emperor, who had long intended to depose him, seized the opportunity to strip him of his title and banished him from the Eastern Palace. He was temporarily residing in a secondary palace on the outskirts of the capital, waiting for a suitable title and land to be assigned before being sent to his fief.
At this time, Chen Lu should have been confined to his secondary palace. No one knew he had been brought here, not even his trusted aides in the palace, who had not yet noticed that the deposed crown prince had been replaced by an imposter.
“Let go of me! How dare you! Let go! When I return, I’ll have you all punished!” Chen Lu shouted weakly. He tried to struggle, but his legs were weak, and he couldn’t stand, collapsing to the ground. He had been fed a drug that sapped his strength, leaving him powerless.
The person from the Poison Pavilion holding him barked, “Behave yourself and don’t miss the auspicious hour!”
“What… what auspicious hour?” Chen Lu stammered, stumbling as he was pulled to his feet.
He had been crowned prince since childhood and had enjoyed a life of luxury for forty years. Suddenly deposed, he hadn’t yet experienced the harshness of the world before being brought here.
The person holding Chen Lu ignored his question and dragged him to the center of the wedding hall.
Finally, free from being dragged forward, Chen Lu stopped, panting. He looked at the pig beside him, his brows furrowing deeply. Somehow, he suddenly realized he was experiencing something horrifying.
He surveyed the people around him, all dressed in black, not at all like wedding guests. Wait, what wedding? Who was he here to marry?
He glanced again at the pig beside him. The stench made him nauseous.
Si Que, lounging lazily, spoke up, “Why haven’t the bride and groom been dressed in their wedding clothes?”
Only then did Chen Lu look up and notice the person sitting at the head. He glanced at Si Que, but his eyes were quickly drawn to You Yuji sitting beside him.
“Yuji!” he called out instinctively.
The smile on Si Que’s face froze instantly. His eyes darkened as he commanded, “Cut out his tongue.”
Chen Lu had no time to react before his face was grabbed by two people beside him, who pried his mouth open. A wave of excruciating pain followed, and blood gushed from his mouth.
Si Que watched the blood pour from Chen Lu’s mouth, his icy expression easing slightly. He then spoke in a softer tone, “Give him the hemostatic powder.”
This meant Chen Lu was not allowed to bleed to death.
Soon, someone poured the hemostatic powder into Chen Lu’s mouth. Chen Lu whimpered in pain, unable to utter a word. The pain was so intense he nearly lost consciousness, but his mind was clearer than ever. Cold sweat dripped down his face, soaking his clothes. He curled up on the ground, shivering from the agony.
Next, his outer clothes were stripped off, and he was dressed in a bright red wedding robe.
Chen Lu, in too much pain to resist, numbly realized that these people were dressing him in wedding clothes.
Wedding clothes?
Was today’s wedding banquet for him? Was he getting married? To whom?
Instinctively, Chen Lu raised his head and looked at You Yuji sitting beside Si Que. In this eerie and dark place, she sat there quietly, her figure seemingly bathed in a soft glow.
Si Que noticed Chen Lu’s gaze.
“Ha.” He chuckled, raising his hand lightly from the armrest and then letting it fall heavily.
The sound of the pig’s squeals interrupted Chen Lu’s thoughts. He couldn’t help but look in that direction, shocked to see several people dressing the foul-smelling black pig in wedding robes.
Chen Lu stood there in a daze.
A ridiculous thought crossed his mind, sending a shiver through him amidst the waves of pain. He quickly dismissed it. No, this was impossible! It was too absurd!
You Yuji was also in a state of shock. She kept asking herself if this was really okay. Many times, she wanted to ask Si Que, but she swallowed her words each time. She asked herself, understanding clearly that it wasn’t the absurdity of the act that troubled her, but Chen Lu’s status. She worried that Si Que was taking too big a risk.
You Yuji pressed her lips together and didn’t ask.
If Si Que wanted to do this to vent her anger, surely he hoped it would make her happy, so why spoil the mood?
As for the consequences?
Never mind. Life is short, and the future is uncertain. Live in the moment.
Si Que turned his face to carefully observe You Yuji’s expression, seeing no displeasure. He turned his gaze back downwards, watching as the cumbersome old sow was finally dressed in its wedding attire, then he spoke: “First bow to heaven and earth.”
No!
He, a dignified crown prince, how could he bow to heaven and earth with a pig! Such an outrageous humiliation was worse than death! Chen Lu wanted to scream in refusal, but with his tongue cut out, he could only make muffled, garbled sounds.
His neck was grabbed, and his knees were kicked out from under him, forcing him to kneel and bow to heaven and earth alongside the squealing sow.
The black-skinned sow was also unwilling to participate in this wedding, loudly expressing its displeasure.
Chen Lu couldn’t even scream as loudly as the pig.
“Second bow to the parents.”
Chen Lu and the pig were turned around to face Si Que and You Yuji, bowing again.
“Husband and wife bow to each other.”
Once more, Chen Lu was forced to kneel and bow, his head touching the pig’s head, as the loudly squealing pig blew a hot breath onto his face from its nose.
Tears mixed with the blood and dirt on Chen Lu’s face as he whimpered, nearly breaking down. He couldn’t understand how he, a dignified crown prince, had ended up in this situation. Who could have orchestrated this? He had always treated people kindly and hadn’t offended anyone!
No, he couldn’t accept this reality! This must be a nightmare! When he woke up, he would find himself still lying on his bed in the Eastern Palace…
His hand was lifted, and a wine cup was thrust into it. Then a pig’s hoof appeared before his eyes, entwined with his arm. His blood-stained face was pressed against the pig’s head as he was forced to drink the wedding wine.
“Ceremony complete.”
From above came Si Que’s delighted laughter.
Chen Lu was finally released, collapsing and curling up on the ground, trembling all over. He sobbed, partly from pain and partly from fear.
He wanted to protest, to ask why he was being treated this way. But with his tongue freshly cut, he couldn’t speak anymore. Using his blood-soaked hand, he began shakily writing on the ground beside him.
Si Que noticed Chen Lu’s movements and leisurely waited until he finished writing before asking, “What did he write?”
Tingyun glanced at the writing and read aloud, “Better to die than suffer such humiliation.”
“Heh.” Si Que sneered coldly, “Seeking death right after getting married? That’s not being a responsible husband. From today on, take good care of your wife. Stay with her until old age, and then you, you worthless dog, may die.”
The overwhelming humiliation almost drowned Chen Lu, compounded by the sow’s wails and the nauseating stench beside him.
Si Que’s long-suppressed anger finally eased a bit as he looked at the pitiful, curled-up figure of Chen Lu.
A soft yawn from beside him interrupted Si Que’s thoughts, and he immediately turned to look at You Yuji. The cold menace in his tone vanished, replaced by gentleness: “Are you tired?”
You Yuji nodded, “Yes, I’m a bit tired.”
It was her first time out of the room today, and she had walked a long distance, leaving her body weak and exhausted. She had been sitting here for quite a while, and now she was starting to feel sleepy.
“Alright, let’s go back.” Si Que smiled. He stood up, took You Yuji’s offered hand, and bent down, scooping her up in his arms.
Just before closing her eyes, You Yuji thought about all the people from the Poison Pavilion watching them. This didn’t seem appropriate, but she was too tired to care. Si Que’s embrace, scented with medicinal herbs, felt comforting and safe. She leaned against him and closed her eyes, relaxed.
Si Que, carrying You Yuji, walked down from the head seat, step by step through the wedding hall filled with a thousand people.
The members of the Poison Pavilion lowered their heads in silence. Only after Si Que had passed with You Yuji in his arms did they dare to look up, their complex gazes following the departing pair.
This was such a stark contrast to the master they remembered, who would coldly flip a coin while throwing people into the Poison Pool…
Truly, love makes one lose their reason.
